1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an engine antifreeze coolant composition, and more particularly to an engine antifreeze coolant composition which has a good corrosion-preventing effect on metallic materials such as aluminum alloys for use in internal combustion engines.
2. Background Art
Metallic materials such as aluminum alloys, copper, and copper alloys are widely used for the manufacture of engine blocks, cylinder heads, radiators, and water pumps. A disadvantage for these metallic materials is the lack of corrosion resistance to corrosive salts-containing water contained in engine cooling liquid, or to alcohols present in engine antifreeze coolants; therefore, there is a need for incorporating various corrosion inhibitors in the foregoing engine antifreeze coolants.
Typical examples of the corrosion inhibitor which can be employed in conventional engine antifreeze coolants include those as specified in BS (British Standard) 3150, BS 3151, and BS 3152. Both triethanolamine phosphate and mercaptobenzothiazole sodium salt, both sodium benzoate and sodium nitrite, and borax are incorporated as a corrosion inhibitor into the antifreeze coolant comprising ethylene glycol as the main constituent in BS 3150, BS 3151, and BS 3152 respectively. However, when these corrosion inhibitors are incorporated individually in an antifreeze coolant, the resulting antifreeze coolant does not exert a satisfactory corrosion-preventing effect on metallic materials for use in the foregoing engine cooling mechanism; therefore, several methods have been proposed in literature (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 40916 of 1989, 14385 of 1990, 28625 of 1990, 1355 of 1991, 56272 of 1991 and 14193 of 1992), wherein the use of a new blend of the foregoing inhibitors, or the use of an additional new corrosion inhibitor selected from among amine salts, silicates, and divalent metal compounds including-magnesium, calcium or zinc compounds has been proposed.
A problem associated with the use of an amine salt as a corrosion inhibitor is formation of toxic nitrosamine when the amine salt is combined with a nitrite in a coolant. Disadvantages for the use of a silicate as a corrosion inhibitor are as follows: a) silicates are poor in thermal stability in nature, b) the incorporation of a silicate makes an antifreeze coolant unstable to pH, and c) gel generates with ease in a coolant when a silicate is incorporated into a coolant which contains other salts, causing the inherent corrosion-preventing effect of the coolant to decrease.
Further, when used in the presence of a phosphate and fatty acid salt, a divalent metal compound as a corrosion inhibitor interacts readily with these salts, causing the salts to precipitate and decreasing the corrosion-preventing effect of the coolant. Thus, combined use of these corrosion inhibitors with other inhibitors exert a harmful influence.